Ashton Jeanty, the consensus top running back in the 2025 NFL Draft pool, recently shared his list of the greatest running backs in NFL history in an interview with CBS Sports.
Ashton Jeanty Reveals His Top 5 Running Backs in NFL History
Jeanty put former Detroit Lions great and Hall of Famer Barry Sanders at No. 1, followed by:
“Adrian Peterson at 2. 3 you gotta throw Emmitt Smith in there, he’s the leading rusher. 4, Imma put LaDainian Tomlinson. At [5], Imma throw Frank Gore in there just for longevity, just for how long he played.”
Superstar @BroncoSportsFB RB Ashton Jeanty drops his top-5 RB's of all-time@LegerDouzable | @ryanwilsonCBS pic.twitter.com/TJGLeTwsWX
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) March 6, 2025
Jeanty regards Sanders as the best ever. Even though Sanders played for just 10 seasons, he rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns. He had five seasons with over 1,500 rushing yards, and he was also the first running back to record two 80+ yard TDs in a single game.
Peterson comes in at No. 2. Over 15 seasons, he rushed for 14,918 yards and 120 touchdowns. He holds the record for the most rushing yards in an eight-game stretch, with 1,322 yards. He leads the NFL in career 60+ yard touchdown runs with 15 and shares the record for the most 50+ yard runs in a season, seven, with Barry Sanders.
At No. 3 is Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards. In 15 seasons, he played 226 games, ran for 164 touchdowns, and helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles while leading the league in rushing during those same campaigns.
Jeanty placed Tomlinson at No. 4, as the latter rushed for 13,684 yards and 145 touchdowns and also added 4,772 receiving yards in his 11-season career.
Gore rounds out the list. While he didn’t have the flashiest career, his consistency led to him rushing for 16,000 yards, the third most in NFL history. He also had over 1,000 total yards in 12 of his 16 seasons.
Jeanty himself has had a remarkable career at Boise State, where he nearly broke Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024.
Pro Football Network’s latest mock draft by Reese Decker projects Jeanty to be selected as the No. 12 overall player by the Dallas Cowboys.
Decker’s analysis of Jeanty reads: “Jeanty is a dynamic playmaker who possesses elite contact balance, remarkable power and durability, dangerous top-end speed, and the ability to flip the field on a single cut. He has the ability to be an instant game-changer and a foundational piece for a rebuilding organization.”
Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards on 374 carries and 29 touchdowns and also had 138 yards and one score on 23 receptions.